Is Your Sponge Past Its Sell By Date?
Old sponges lying there next to the kitchen sink in their worn out, used up, unhealthy state are not a pretty sight!
Do we even need them in the first place?
- Most common sponges are made from plastic.
- They cannot be recycled or composted.
- And they should only be used for a week or two at the most.
What can we use instead?
Well, non-scratch scrub sponges are available online and made from 100% plant-based fibers including 23% recycled paper — and the non-scratch scrubbing fibers are made from 50% natural agave plant. You can also get pop up sponges made from natural vegetable cellulose. Small and robust, they won't trap any nasty odors and of course they can be thrown into the washing machine regularly - and composted when they come to the end of their life.
For wiping down your kitchen surfaces, invest in a pack of washable cloths or cut up old t-shirts and tea towels into squares. They can then go into the washing machine - and get re-used over and over again. I have a pile of cloths made from bamboo for this job. 
For cleaning the dishes when you hand wash, use a plant-based dish scrubbing brush. It can be recycled or composted when it wears out. For getting rid of really tough stuck on food, use an environmentally-friendly coconut husk scourer. Again, this can easily be composted when it is too worn to use any more. When placed in landfill, those synthetic kitchen sponges will never be bio-degradable. Look at all the options you can use instead!
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.